Gil
Dodgen's Piano Albums
Feel free to
make copies of
these files and let others do the same. They were made from my old
vinyl LPs
which were recorded when I was an active concert pianist. You’ll hear
some
surface noise. I have the old studio-quality, analog master tapes, but
I’d have
to find someone with the equipment to play them in order to re-master
the CDs.
Perhaps I’ll do that one day. The Chopin and Liszt and Romantic Piano
albums
were recorded on a Baldwin SD-10 concert grand and the Gershwin album
was
recorded on a Steinway concert grand.
I studied piano
as a child
and through high school with Ruby Bailey who was a graduate of the
Eastman
Conservatory and the wife of the chairman of the music department at
Washington
State University, where my father was a professor of chemistry.
During my senior
year of
high school Ruby recommended that I study with her husband Jerry on the
campus.
That year was bittersweet. I played the Grieg A-Minor Concerto with a
local
orchestra and performed the Rachmaninoff Second Concerto at the
university with
Jerry playing the orchestra part on a second piano. A week after the
Rachmaninoff performance, Jerry died of pneumonia at the age of 36.
I went on to
major in music
at WSU and Ruby went on to complete her advanced degrees. She
eventually became
a piano professor in the music department and I once again studied with
her in
college. For all practical purposes she taught me everything I know.
Ruby and I
stayed in close
touch over the years, and whenever my wife and I would go to Washington
state
to visit family I would visit Ruby and play her marvelous seven-foot
Bosendorfer grand. She would visit us on an occasional trip to Southern
California.
Ruby died in a
single-car
automobile accident in her mid-50s in 1993. She apparently fell asleep
at the
wheel. I loved her like a second mother, and still miss her greatly.
1
Etude in A Flat, Op. 25,
No.1 (“Aeolian Harp”)
Chopin
2 Etude
in C Minor, Op.
10, No. 12 (“Revolutionary”) Chopin
3
Widmung (Dedication)
Schumann/Liszt
4 Mephisto
Waltz
Liszt
5
Scherzo in B Minor, Op. 20
Chopin
6
Nocturne in C# Minor, Op. 27, No. 1
Chopin
7 Polonaise
in A-Flat,
Op. 53
Chopin
1,
2, 3 Three Preludes
4 Rhapsody
In Blue
5… The
Gershwin Songbook (18 of Gershwin’s
popular songs arranged for piano by Gershwin)
1
Scherzo No. 2, Opus 31
Chopin
2
Nocturne, Opus 9, No. 2
Chopin
3
Fantaisie-Impromptu, Opus 66
Chopin
4
Concert Etude (Un Sospiro)
Liszt
5
Liebestraum No. 3
Liszt
6
Consolation No. 3
Liszt
7
Etude Tableau, Opus 39, No. 5
Rachmaninoff
8 Prelude,
Opus 32, No. 12
Rachmaninoff
Chopin
and Liszt Album
Chopin,
Etudes Op. 10, No. 12 and Op. 25, No. 1
The
C minor and A-flat major etudes are a part of the series of etudes
comprising
the opus 10 and 25, one in each major and minor key. The opus 10 was
completed
by the time Chopin was 20, and the opus 25 by the time he was 27. The
two sets
of etudes are as close to perfection in any artistic endeavor as one
can get.
At the time of their appearance they represented something completely
new in
terms of piano technique, harmony and concept. One is astonished by
their
unflawed craftsmanship and superior melodic ideas, and one is doubly
astonished
by the age of their composer.
The
C minor (Op. 10, No. 12) and A-flat major (Op. 25, No. 1) etudes of
this series
have been dubbed the Revolutionary and Aeolian Harp,
respectively, by the extramusical associations they evoke.
The
fall of Warsaw to the Russians is supposed by some to have motivated
Chopin to
the dramatic musical outburst represented by the Revolutionary
etude.
Chopin, though, was exclusively a composer of absolute music (the least
programmatic of the great romantic composers), and the fall of Poland
and the
composition of this etude were probably independent, though roughly
simultaneous events. An etude is a work designed to develop a specific
aspect
of piano playing, and the Revolutionary features rapid and
extended
arpeggios and passages for the left hand.
The
A-flat major etude has earned its sobriquet from the swift, diffuse and
murmuring accompaniment that is suggestive to fanciful minds of a light
breeze
playing on an aeolian harp. The etude is an exercise in multidynamic
playing
and differentiated touch, where a clearly etched legato melody (a more
beautiful one has probably never been composed) is made to sing over
the rapid
accompaniment in both the left and right hands.
Schumann
/Liszt Widmung
Liszt
was by far the greatest and most prolific transcriber for piano of
works
originally intended for other instrumental combinations. These
transcriptions
of songs, chamber music, operas and symphonies of both great and
obscure
composers number in the hundreds, and they did much to popularize the
original
works in the pre-recording age. Most of these are not heard today
because the
music is easily accessible in its original form. In recent years,
however, some
of it has been revived since it still remains highly effective piano
music.
The
Widmung, originally a song by Robert Schumann, Liszt transcribed
in a
straightforward manner. The melodic line is unembellished, and the
texture of
the accompaniment is expanded to an orchestral fullness. One hears more
Schumann than Liszt, and this work shows Liszt at his best as a
transcriber.
Liszt,
Mephisto Waltz
The
Mephisto Waltz, the first of four that Liszt wrote, is based on
an
episode from Nikolaus Lenau's Faust. Like most artists of the romantic
era,
Liszt was captivated by the Faust legend, and based other works upon it.
The
program of the music follows an incident that occurs in the travels of
Faust
and Mephistopheles. Upon deciding to stay at a village inn for a night
where
wedding festivities are in progress, Faust espies a peasant girl to
whom he
takes a fancy. Mephistopheles, upon learning of Faust's desires for the
girl,
seizes a violin from a musician in the tavern and plays a wild dance
that
causes all inhibitions to be discarded, the festivities degenerating
into
Bacchanalian revelry.
Liszt
biographer Sacheverall Sitwell described the music as "haunted and
evil," and the stormy surgings of the piece do indeed evoke such a
mood.
The Mephisto Waltz is one of Liszt's greatest original compositions,
and one of
the most physically taxing and technically demanding in the standard
repertory.
Chopin, Scherzo
in B Minor, Op. 20
The
scherzo was introduced by Beethoven to replace the minuet as the third
movement
of sonatas and symphonies. Chopin, however, used the term to describe
four independent
works that he wrote.
In
the B minor scherzo, as in the others Chopin wrote, a highly dramatic
beginning
and ending contrast with a lyric middle section. The crashing chords
and
subsequent agitated passages of the beginning of this work dispel any
notions
that Chopin was the composer only of overly languid music. The middle
movement,
derived from a Polish Christmas carol, is as lovely as any Chopin has
written.
But its mood is shattered by the repetition of the chords that marked
the
opening, as the piece returns to its original stormings.
Chopin,
Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor Op. 27, No. 1
The
nocturne, an atmospheric, languid and somewhat moody character piece
was
originated by the Irish composer John Field (1782-1837). Chopin adopted
the
name and idea and his creative genius raised them to a height where
they became
exclusively associated with his name.
Of
the 19 nocturnes Chopin wrote, the C-sharp minor is somewhat atypical.
This
nocturne, basically a work in three short movements, begins with a
melancholy,
largo melody characteristic of Chopin. A quickening of tempo and
lightening of
mood denote the middle section, and then the subdued opening theme and
atmosphere return for the denouement of the piece.
This
is music intended for the salon, which easily makes the transition to
the
concert stage on the strength of its musical substance.
Chopin,
Polonaise in A-Flat, Op. 53
The
polonaise is another form that Chopin borrowed and ultimately made his
own.
This Polish dance in triple meter was greatly expanded in breadth and
power of
expression in the magnificent series of concert works that Chopin left
as a
testament of his Polish nationalism.
Ranking
first amongst these, and one of the most famous and recognized works of
the
piano literature, is the polonaise in A-flat major. Cadenzas gradually
build to
the well-known heroic theme. The theme repeats itself twice, punctuated
by a
brief desultory interlude. Forte broken chords introduce a middle
section that
maintains the spirit of the opening. Here, an equally heroic theme
sounds over
a rush of descending octaves in the bass. The piece then becomes
subdued before
the ebullience and main theme return, climaxing in a fiery coda.
Romantic
Piano Album
Chopin, Scherzo
No. 2, Op. 31
The
scherzo was originally used by Beethoven to replace the minuet movement
of
works in sonata form. Chopin composed four independent works of this
title that
were patterned after the sonata form of Beethoven's scherzos.
The
first section of this scherzo has several motivic elements, the most
insistent
being the opening triplets. A con anima second subject is introduced
featuring
one of Chopin's notable cantabile melodies. The exposition is
completely
restated and an intermezzo follows. A reprise of the opening section is
followed
by an agitated coda pronouncing the cadence.
Chopin,
Nocturne, Op. 9, No. 2
Chopin's
19 creations in this form have almost totally eclipsed the nocturnes of
other
composers, including those of the nocturne's inventor, Irish composer
John
Field.
The
second nocturne of the opus is the dreamy and romantic work that the
title
connotes. The mood is unchanged throughout this brief work, which
consists of a
single theme. The theme is restated and a shimmering cadenza precedes a
subdued
and abbreviated close.
Chopin,
Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. 66
The
Fantaisie-Impromptu is the last and the most noted of Chopin's
four
impromptus. Though the title "impromptu" suggests a work of an
improvisatory nature, this work shows the polish and careful
craftsmanship
typical of all Chopin's compositions. The impromptu opens with a swift
exposition in four-against-three that soon dissolves into a slow
section
highlighted by one of Chopin's most celebrated melodies. The brisk
opening is
then recapitulated with the theme of the middle section quoted in the
coda.
Liszt,
Concert Etude, Un Sospiro
Un
Sospiro
is the
third of the Trois Etudes de Concert that date from the year
1848. In
this etude, a beautiful and poetic work, there is a pronounced Chopin
influence
that was typical of Liszt's compositions of this period. Though
arpeggios
involving the crossing of the hands are the technical emphasis of this
etude,
the musical conceptions are broader than that of a mere study.
Liszt,
Liebestraum No. 3
In
1847, Liszt published a song, O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst
which he
transcribed for piano solo to become the third Liebestraum, the
other
two being transcriptions of his own songs as well.
The
lyric and sentimental theme (one of the most famous in Western music)
is repeated
in increasingly dramatic versions. A sparkling cadenza signals the
return of
the original mood and a recapitulation of the theme precedes the work's
gentle
coda.
Liszt,
Consolation No. 3
Of
the six Consolations composed in the years 1848-1850, No. 3 is
the best
known. This work is short, simple and charming, and is another example
of
Chopin's influence on Liszt at this time.
The
Consolations derive their title and inspiration from the poems
of
Sainte-Beuve and make for a pleasant respite from Liszt's usual
heaven-storming
piano works.
Rachmaninoff,
Etude Tableau, Op. 39,
No. 5
Rachmaninoff
composed two volumes of Etudes Tableaux: the opus 33 (1911) and
the opus
39 (1917). The etudes of the second volume were conceived on a broader
scale,
being more ambitious and complex, where each is essentially a small
tone poem
capturing a certain mood or sentiment.
The
E-flat minor etude of the second volume, labeled "appassionato,"
roughly follows a ternary form that is typical of most of the pieces of
the
opus 39. A broadly conceived theme is featured in the opening and is
contrasted
to a contrapuntal middle section. The whole is pervaded by
Rachmaninoff's
characteristic rich chromatic harmonies.
Rachmaninoff,
Prelude, Op. 32, No. 12
Like
Chopin, Rachmaninoff published 24 preludes in each major and minor key
(however, there are three additional preludes without opus numbers).
While the
Chopin preludes are essentially fragments and inchoate musical
thoughts,
Rachmaninoff's are extended and developed works with a variety of style
and
mood. The twelfth etude of the opus 32 is a piece of unrelieved
somberness, the
tone being set by the solemn theme of the opening in the left hand
against the
rapid treble accompaniment. A contrasting section treated with more
vigor
follows, before recapitulation and a pianissimo conclusion.
Gershwin
Album
THREE
PRELUDES
1) Allegro ben
ritmato e deciso
2) Andante con
moto e poco rubato
3) Allegro ben
ritmato e deciso
RHAPSODY
IN BLUE
THE
GERSHWIN SONGBOOK
(Complete)
The
Man I Love
Swanee
Nobody
But You
I'll
Build A Stairway To Paradise
Do
It Again
Fascinating
Rhythm
Oh,
Lady Be Good
Somebody
Loves Me
Sweet
And Low Down
Clap Yo' Hands
Do Do Do
My
One And Only
'S
Wonderful
Strike
Up The Band
I
Got Rhythm
Who
Cares?
That
Certain Feeling
Liza
In
his book, The Agony Of Modern Music, Henry Pleasants suggests
that the
history of Western music essentially moved from the European
"serious" tradition to American popular music after the First World
War. In any event, the influence of American jazz on 20th century music
cannot
be denied, and the contribution of George Gershwin has made him, if not
the
American composer, certainly the most popular and authentic.
Gershwin
was first and foremost a tunesmith, a songwriter; his gift for melody
was
seemingly inexhaustible. As a great songwriter in a great songwriting
era,
Gershwin's genuine curiosity and seriousness in the search of greater
accomplishment in music lifted him to the level of a true genius of
American
music. The continued and undiminished popularity, to this day, of both
his
popular songs and his more serious works, attests to his immortality.
Gershwin
performed five preludes for piano for the first time on December 4,
1926 at the
Hotel Roosevelt in a recital with contralto Mme. d'Alvarez. The Preludes
for
Piano, the three surviving works from that original group, were
published
in 1927. He had apparently sketched about a half dozen such small piano
pieces,
one of which eventually became the opening material for the last
movement of
the Concerto in F.
The
fast-slow-fast arrangement of the preludes imitates the aesthetic
balance of
tempo and mood long established by the tradition of the sonata. The
first and
third preludes are short in duration, fast, dynamic, syncopated and
punchy. The
middle "movement" is a blues piece which acquires much of its
character from insistence on the minor third. It is interesting to note
that
while the pieces are clearly 20th century American music inspired of
jazz, the
composer uses the traditional Italian language for tempo indication and
performance instruction. A distinction is thus implied between these
"serious" compositions and, for example, the song transcriptions,
which contain such instructions as, "in a jazzy manner."
One
of the great disappointments about Gershwin's music, for pianists, is
that
while Gershwin himself was a pianist he wrote very little for solo
piano. The Concerto,
Rhapsody in Blue and I Got Rhythm Variations are all for
piano
and orchestra. Fortunately, with the Rhapsody we have a way
out. Not
only was the work originally scored for two pianos -- the second piano
being
orchestrated by Ferde Grofe -- but the composer played it in a solo
version and
recorded it for the Duo Art reproducing piano. In the solo version
contained on
this disc I have attempted to stay close to the original, with some
minor
modification in the traditional transcription of the orchestral
sections, which
must necessarily be modified for the keyboard. I think it is a mistake
to try
to imitate the orchestra on the piano, especially in this piece. There
is no
point in trying to duplicate the traditional opening "wail" of the
clarinet or the sound of the wah-wah mute. This version is pianistic.
The
success of the first performance of the Rhapsody is widely
known and the
merits and flaws of the piece have been widely discussed. But its
significance
is indisputable. With this work American music and the jazz idiom came
of age.
George
Gershwin, like many gifted composers, was known for his ability to
improvise.
He was always at the piano, experimenting with new ideas or harmonizing
a song
in a new and imaginative way. Witnesses to his improvisation talked
about his
miracles in counterrhythms, the intricacy and logic of his voice
leading and
his clever modulations. Fortunately, he left us transcriptions for
piano of 18
of his popular songs. It can be argued whether or not these song
transcriptions
are examples of how Gershwin improvised. Certainly the reports
mentioned above
would suggest that these short works are not as sophisticated as his
playing.
On the other hand, as one studies these little pieces (the shortest
lasts only
34 seconds) the composer's inventiveness becomes obvious. When played
up to
tempo many of them also become quite demanding technically.
Perhaps
the answer to the enigma lies in the fact these 18 songs are more
miniature
piano pieces than anything else. In them we find a catalog of pianistic
devices
used not only by Gershwin but by other popular keyboard musicians of
the
period. The 20-minute group makes up a Visions Fugitives, a
fleeting
glimpse of Gershwin the pianist and songwriter.